Category: Today In Books

This edition of Today in Books is sponsored by How It Feels to Float by Helena Fox.

Highlights from a “Tolkien” Chat

Tolkien superfan Stephen Colbert moderated a discussion at the Montclair Film Festival featuring Nicholas Hoult and Lily Collins, stars of the upcoming biopic of The Hobbit author J.R.R. Tolkien. Director Dome Karukoski was also on hand, and you can check out highlights from the event at Parade.

Ride for Reading Builds Children’s Home Libraries

Cincinnati school kids are starting summer break in the next couple weeks, and over 400 of them will do so with a new to-be-read pile thanks to Ride for Reading Cincinnati. Volunteers for that chapter of the national organization just loaded their delivery bikes for the seventh time, hauling thousands of donated books to elementary students who got to select up to ten titles to take home.

Say “Ahh” and Get a Free Book

More feel-good news! Did you know about Reach Out and Read? It partners with pediatrician offices to provide free children’s books to kids under five who come in for their annual check-up. Half of the 4.7 million kids who benefit are from low-income families, and the program (founded by two pediatricians) gives new parents the tools to make read-aloud time happen.

This edition of Today in Books is sponsored by Pride, Prejudice, and Other Flavors by Sonali Dev, published by William Morrow.

Audible Keeps Driving The Exclusive Train

Reese Witherspoon’s Hello Sunshine and Audible have teamed up to produce three memoirs exclusively for Audible. Coming in 2019 and 2020 are Baddest Bitch in the Room by Sophia Chang, Magnificent Things by Rosemarie Aquilina, and Limping on the Edge by Maysoon Zayid. Click here for more info on these awesome women and their upcoming memoirs.

RBG Will Be A Featured Speakers At 2019 Library Of Congress National Book Festival

U.S. Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg will be one of the festival’s featured speakers this year, discussing her book My Own Words. The 2019 Library of Congress National Book Festival will take place August 31st at the Walter E. Washington Convention Center in Washington, D.C. and you can check out this year’s schedule here.

Kristin Scott Thomas Joins Rebecca

In another classic getting another adaptation news: Kristin Scott Thomas has joined the cast of Netflix’s adaptation of Daphne du Maurier’s Rebecca. Thomas joins Lily James and Armie Hammer as filming is set to begin this summer.

This edition of Today in Books is sponsored by Doubleday.

Freddie Prinze Jr. Replaced As Nancy Drew’s Dad

The casting gods gave us the perfect casting with Freddie Prinze Jr. playing Carson Drew, Nancy Drew’s dad, in the CW’s upcoming series and then they yanked it away! No reason is cited in the article but after the pilot was filmed, and the series picked up by the network, Freddie Prinze Jr. was replaced by Scott Wolf. I guess at least they’re going with another hottie from the ’90s.

THE Most Adorable Book

Karamo Brown, the current culture expert on Queer Eye, wrote a picture book with his son, Jason, “to empower everyone to love who they are, exactly as they are!” No YOU’RE crying! The cover for I Am Perfectly Designed is an all time favorite cover.

Have Coulrophobia? Look Away!

It Chapter Two has a teaser trailer which is either 2 minutes and 55 seconds of awesome-I-can’t-wait or petrifying-make-it-stop-kill-all-the-clowns viewing. Anyhoo, the murderous clown will be in theaters September 6th.

This edition of Today in Books is sponsored by the audiobook edition of The Guest Book by Sarah Blake.

Barack Obama’s Memoir Release Date?

While many were expecting Former President Barack Obama’s post-White House memoir to release this year it is now being speculated that we’ll be waiting until 2020. Ya know the year of the next U.S. presidential election–which I’m assuming is a coincidence because he just hasn’t finished writing it yet. I mean he is having to follow in Michelle Obama’s writing footsteps, that’s a lot of pressure.

Watchmen Teaser!

If you’ve been anticipating HBO’s series adaptation of Dave Gibbons’ Watchmen we finally have a teaser. An intense teaser! Starring Regina King, Jeremy Irons, Don Johnson, and Jean Smart, it’ll premiere this fall.

And Another A Christmas Carol

The BBC’s three-part series adaptation of Charles Dickens’ A Christmas Carol will air on FX in December. Starring Guy Pearce as Ebenezer Scrooge, produced by Ridley Scott, Tom Hardy, and FX Productions, and written by Peaky Blinders creator Steven Knight the production “will respectfully present what we believe to be a timely interpretation of a timeless story.”

This edition of Today in Books is sponsored by Stranger Things from Dark Horse Comics and Netflix.

Lawsuit Filed Over Bible’s Placement

A federal lawsuit has been filed over the placement of a Bible at the Manchester Veterans Affairs Medical Center, by a patient. But this isn’t the first battle: Previously the Bible had been removed after complaints from the Military Religious Freedom Foundation but opposition to its removal/movement also sparked outcry. Read more on this case, along with the history of this specific Bible, here.

Adaptation I Want Now!

Alexa Martin’s Intercepted–a romance about a woman who swears off football players after she gets rid of her cheating dog boyfriend only to be pursued by a *prince in a football helmet–is being adapted! It’ll be a series on Starz starring La La Anthony and Curtis Jackson (50 Cent). *not an actual prince.

Batwoman!

The CW has a teaser for the upcoming Batwoman series starring Ruby Rose! Check her, and her costume, out here while we wait for the show’s premiere–which will be the first superhero series with a gay lead character.

This edition of Today in Books is sponsored by Her Royal Highness by Rachel Hawkins.

$80 Million Comic Book Sale Increase

In a new high for the comic book industry total sales in the U.S. and Canada in 2018 were approximately $1.09 billion. BILLION. If you want to nerd out a bit on industry changes, like the rise in digital sales and sales via book retails, clickity click the above link.

Janelle Monáe To Provide Original Music For Lady And The Tramp

Lady and the Tramp–based on Ward Greene’s book–is getting the live-action film treatment starring Tessa Thompson and Justin Theroux. And we now know that Janelle Monáe will be creating two original songs for the film, one will replace the racist The Siamese Cat Song.

Litsy Is Now On Desktop

Litsy, the app that is basically Instagram but all about books, is now accessible from your desktop! And according to the homepage: “To respect member’s privacy and keep things awesome, most of Litsy is hidden from Google. We let humans see and share pages, but not machines.” You can also check out trending books and hashtags from the homepage.

Sponsored by Audible.

Viral Moment Turned Into Children’s Book

When a photo of toddler Parker Curry admiring Amy Sherald’s painting of Michelle Obama went viral last year hearts around the world melted. Now that moment and feeling will forever live on in a children’s book: Parker Looks Up by Parker Currey, Jessica Curry, Brittany Jackson. Check out the beautiful cover and read more about it here.

Spoilers Be Dammed!

The trailer for Spider-Man: Far From Home is here! And even though I have yet to see Avengers: Endgame, and this trailer will spoil it, I’m watching it–it’s not like the internet won’t ruin it before the DVD comes out anyways. And tickets are now on sale!

The Mayo Clinic Joins The Publishing World

Known for its world-class medical care, the Mayo Clinic has now started an imprint, Mayo Clinic Press, which will obviously publish health-related books. “The Mayo decided to move from being an author of health books to actually publishing them due to the difficulties of upholding its very high standards of health information when a trade publisher was producing the books.”

Sponsored by Audible

May the Fuzzball Be With You

Yesterday was epic, in that Free Comic Book Day fell on May the Fourth. But it’s not over until you scroll through this roundup of pets in their best Star Wars cosplay.

Call Me By Your Name Sequel Cover Reveal

Did you love André Aciman’s Call Me By Your Name? Are you a sucker for great jacket design? Sequel Find Me has a cover designed by Rodrigo Corral that is sure to appeal to anyone who can tick both those boxes.

Books That Made Oyinkan Braithwaite

The author of My Sister, the Serial Killer answers some questions about the books that have been important to her. (Psst: you could win a copy of this fantastic debut if you enter here before May is over!)

Sponsored by Audible

Marvel + OverDrive = 600 Available Comic Titles

OverDrive, the digital platform used by many schools and libraries, just teamed up with Marvel for a massive catalog of comics! Which is very exciting for Marvel fans and soon-to-be Marvel fans. I’m gonna be eyeballs deep in comics for a while.

Asian-American Classics Line Launches At Penguin Classics

Four canonical novels by Asian American authors will publish on May 21st from Penguin Classics! The titles are: The Hanging on Union Square by H.T. Tsiang; East Goes West by Younghill Kang; No-No Boy by John Okada; America Is in the Heart by Carlos Bulosan. Learn more about the titles here.

Roxane Gay Is On Fire!

Recently we found out Roxane Gay and Dr. Tressie McMillan Cottom will have a podcast, Here to Slay. But that’s not all she’s been working on! She also announced she’s hosting a book club that “might be on your TV this summer.” AND she debuted a new magazine: Gay Magazine. So happy to see all her talents spreading far and wide!

Sponsored by Audible

AI Makes Poem Portrait On Your Face

Selfies feeling a bit been there, done that? Google’s new app, PoemPortraits, uses a word you suggest to create a poem and overlays it onto your selfie. “The poems it produces can be ‘surprisingly poignant, and at other times nonsensical.'” Fun!

2019 Free Comic Book Day Guide!

Tomorrow, May 4th, is Free Comic Book Day! Whether you participate every year or this is going to be your first time (yay!), NPR put together a great resource explaining what you can expect from the day, how to easily find your nearest comic book shop, and a list (with reviews) of the 53 comic book titles that may be available for free! May the 4th be with you!

2019 Indies Choice Book Awards Winners!

This is a fantastic list if you’re looking for what to read next: 2019 Indies Choice Book Awards and the E.B. White Read-Aloud Awards winners! Congratulations to all the winners and all the honored books–you’re all winners to us!